They have to spot a variety of typical wedding day occurrences / outfits and tick them off on their list. This works really well for older children 7-11 who will be able to do this independently but younger children will need adult help or help from older siblings.

(I recommend using pencils rather than felt tips as you could end up with felt tip stains all over their hands, clothes and the table cloths ~ and you wouldn't want felt tips anywhere near your pristine white dress!)

If you wanted to, you could provide a little incentive such as a small bag of sweets or a pound shop toy for the first child to find all the things on the list or simply give the treats to the children's parents for them to hand out as they see fit.

Staying focused on this task will be tricky for some children - especially younger children so parents could reward them when they feel they've tried their best.

I LOVE this idea! We’ve actually booked a wedding crech for our day {we have 2 children of our own plus an awful lof of freinds with little ones and we just wanted everyone to be able to relax as much as possible} but I think these would be a perfect addition to the children’s table for during the wedding breakfast! I love the idea of them strolling around the room on the hunt for each of the things.

This is such a cute idea! We’re probably going to steal this! We’re also picking crayons and coloring books and making little party favor bags for the kids to keep them occupied. Our wedding is at night, so the little ones might get antsy fast!

This is a very unique idea, but what if your on a budget and you can’t really include buying a bunch of disposable camera’s to the bill? I realize thier not really expensive, but I would like to find something for kids that would be less expensive.

You could always use your digital cameras or a phone camera and a photo-sharing service such as Our Photo Opp Bride Edition. That way you can make sure the bride gets a copy of every photo (as well as every guest!), and you could make an online album to share.

an alternative to getting cameras, you could leave a space for the kids to write down the name of the person they find with the article or doing the action and there relationship to them. They get a little lesson on memory and relationship.

This is an awesome idea!! My son LOVES I Spy and i know something like this would keep him busy and having a great time at an event that is typically geared much more toward adults- i’ll defiitely be passing this gem along!

Here’s an idea: just leave the kids at home. Now, I know what the majority of you are going to say; “that’s cold-hearted” or “children are entitled to witness their __________ get married” or whatever. You know what? Why should they go? The event isn’t for them. They likely won’t enjoy themselves. They’ll get in the way, cry, cause disturbances, etc. To top it all off, THEY WON’T EVEN REMEMBER IT. They won’t. Parents, for the sake of everyone else, leave the kids at home. That way, you can enjoy your friends’ wedding without having to babysit your kid(s) the entire day/night. You know why this post even exists? Because keeping kids from getting bored out of their skulls while attending a wedding they won’t even remember is obviously a big enough problem that someone had to think of a solution for it.

Ultimately, weddings are for adults. There’s drinking, dancing, fancy attire, elegant decor; all things children do NOT go with. Children are not elegant, dignified or fancy and they cheapen formal events with their crying/messes. I know what I’m saying sounds harsh, but it’s also true. They won’t miss it; It’ll mean less headache for everyone. It will NOT kill you to drop the kids off at Nana’s place for a day.

Ana Fredlund

Maybe your wedding. You can’t throw your judgement on to other people’s weddings. And I want the nanas too.

Rachel

I still remember the weddings that I went to as a kid and they were great fun. Whilst I understand what you’re saying, my wedding wouldn’t be the same without my nieces and nephews presence. I think this is quite a strong opinion that won’t be shared by everyone, and I’m not convinced you’re right about this either.

Laura Decker

Weddings are for the couple and the people they love, for me that includes children to. We are having a family wedding and respecting the fact that kids as well as a lot of adults do not want to sit and listen to boring speeches. There will be activities, music and lots of laughter. All three of those things are perfect for children.

little poots

you are totally allowed your opinion but some of us HAVE children and are getting married, so remember, there are some people who simply cannot leave the kids at home :-)

I realize this is somewhat old, but people are definitely still finding it and it is still very relevant! I see you have asked for our ideas and I found this literally looking for an idea for myself a while ago, going to be passing it along to a friend who is having a wedding on a ship…BUT… If the wedding is NOT on a boat…I might also suggest something, I know that people all have different feelings, some feel really strongly you should leave them at home, others feel really strongly that kids should be welcomed…this is one of those touchy topics that’s all over the map. In Tampa, I have heard of a couple that rented a bounce house for outside, within the courtyard, out of sight directly of the reception area, however, monitored and even got a popcorn machine from the same company…and they invited the kids. This was surprisingly cheaper than I had thought originally, and it saved the day. I just literally wrote an article about renting one for your birthday party for your kid, RentaBounceHouseinTampa. com :it’s no different at a wedding though: bounce houses keep kids entertained. No matter where you need it, virtually anywhere, they are able to find a spot to setup and they are much more affordable than one things. There are a lot of great companies in Tampa, but some are better than others, and I know some will be able to rent more than one thing that you may realize you want. Most of the good companies list their prices on their website too, so you can see what you would be paying. They set it up for you and everything, so you aren’t going to be worried about one more thing, if you are looking for a way to keep the kids occupied in Tampa, then you will be worried about ONE LESS thing if you rent a bounce house and put it somewhere reasonable for the reception. Then you can stay as late as you want, as the kids won’t want to leave!